The Emergency Services in Mongolia are still very much below international standards. The better part of the medical services and equipment was provided by the soviets to the Mongolians. When they left in a rush in 1990 the medical infrastructure of the country collapsed. The majority of the equipment in the hospitals of Mongolia still dates back from the soviet times and it currently is in very bad condition.

There is a reliable mobile phone shop on the second floor of the State Department Store, it is operated by Mobicom which is the largest operator in the country. They have a good level of coverage and are relatively inexpensive. It is recommended that you go with a Mongolian friend who can help you fill out forms and make the right choices. Prices very much depend on the packages you take but are no more expensive then elsewhere in Asia.
 
It's advised if you're in Mongolia for a long period of time (two months or more) to buy a Mobicom, or Skytel Sim-Card. They come at an affordable price, and are useful for contacting your friends, and in an emergency. Just don't forget to top it up! 
 

 
Phone calls and  text messages are almost negligible in price, and a ten dollar top up should last you a month or so.
 
There is a large Mobicom centre, about a five minute walk behind the State Department store. It's ideal for buying new phones, chargers, batteries, and all other types of paraphernalia, with extremely reasonable prices.
 
Most shops as well as the post office, the tourist information office and the state department store will be happy to sell phone cards to call home to use on the payphone. 

Learning Mongolian is tricky, there are a number of organisations who can help you to learn. The Mongolian National University (opposite the Bistrot Francais north of Sukhbaatar Square) can help with some lessons but the teachers usually have a relatively poor level of English themselves. We recommend the teachers from the ger to ger initiative. They are an aid project supported by the USAID and they strive to improve conditions in the ger districts of Ulaanbaatar. They are always happy to help and your fees will go towards improving the dreadful living conditions of the slums of the capital.

 

Another useful way of picking up Mongolian is to make friends with some! Mongolians are keen to meet Westerners, and learn English and teach Mongolian. If you have a mobile phone, you will find that by the time you leave the country your PhoneBook will be full of numbers of various people you have met on your travels. To learn a few sentences of Mongolian to help you during your travels in Mongolia please have a look at our quick Glossary.

There are very few cash points (ATM’s for our American friends) in Ulaanbaatar (about 7 at my last count) and nearly all of them only take Visa cards. You can normally take money out from the banks themselves if you have Maestro or other cards but this involves a long process of filling in forms, having them approved at one counter, stamped at another and paid out at a third if you are lucky. Some banks are open 24 hours a day such as the Golomt bank near the Marco Polo restaurant.

 

Travellers cheques can be changed in most banks in the city. Most foreign restaurants, bars, hotels and service providers also accept payment by card. The preferred currencies in Mongolia are of course the national Tugrug and the US dollars, although Euros are becoming popular. Click on "read more..." to see a brief description of where all the known cashpoints are in Ulaanbaatar. Outside of Ulaanbaatar credit cards are useless and only cash is accepted, so leave prepared. Opening a bank account in Mongolia is relatively easy the Trade and Development Bank as well as Golomt are happy to help.

The Tourist Information Office is located in the same building as the Post Office. You will find there some useful information and brochures about travelling in Mongolia but not much. They will often refer you to one of the travel and tour operators in Ulaanbaatar. The office will also sell maps and souvenirs of Mongolia, including free guide pamphlets and event calendars.

 

You can also buy English to Mongolian phrasebooks, which can also be handy.

The central post office on the corner of Sukhbaatar square and Peace avenue (entrance on Peace Avenue) is the best place to go, they are friendly, speak English and are happy to help ( a rare combination in Mongolia).

 

They have a wide variety of postcards on offer there as well as a collection of colourful stamps to send your postcards to your loved ones at home.  Stamps range from about 550 T for postcards, and little more for letters, due to the size. 

 

The prices for the postal services vary but are always reasonable and the service itself is excellent if a bit slow. Letters to the World will ususally take two weeks or so to arrive, it's not very quick, but two weeks is very good considering the size of the Mongolian Post Service.

 

It is worth being cautious in the street immediately infront of the post-office as there are sometimes pick-pockets in the area.

In this section you will find contact details to most of the foreign embassies and diplomatic missions in Mongolia. Please note that many countries who do not have an embassy in Mongolia are represented by another country. For example, Australia and New Zealand are represented at the British Embassy while Belgium is represented by the French Embassy. Please also note that embassies have a limited power to help, there is little that they can do unless it is a serious emergency.